dixville notch, new hampshire. we need a drum roll.

for the first time in the town's history. the vote was tied. five in favor of president obama. five in favor of mitt romney. the poll at midnight. tradition for the town since 1948. >> if that is any indication, send coffee to the stufd dio. >> officials in new york and new jersey are scrambling to make sure people displaced by hurricane sandy are able to cast their ballots today. make shift tents have been set up with portable polling booths. on top of that. free shuttle buses will carry new yorkers from damaged polling places to alternate sites. governor cuomo signed anned or ear lug people affected by sandy to vote at any polling location in the state. in new jersey, storm victims, meanwhile, will be allowed to vote electronically. applications for mail-in ballot submitted by e-mail or fax. once approved voters have until 8:00 p.m. to return the ballot

electronically. residents of hard hit ocean county voting in droves since last friday. voting sites without power are getting generators and a mobile bus will be stopping by emergency shelters as well. >> just one of the many hurdles that a lot of folks in the northeast are facing right now. >> a lot of weird factors. and sandy ruined a lot of people's plans. can't blame folks from being distracted when your haas is gone, no heat, no power. it will be interesting. and keep your eye on problems, unrelated to the storm. keep your eye on hoip hoohio an florida. legal rumblings in terms of voter id and voting machines themselves and extended, not extended hours. hope that, does turn, just another legal mess like a few years ago. those two states will be ground zero. >> seeing, a third of the votes cast by early ballots. absentee ballots. 1.# million cast in ohio as well. so this thing. >> up to 40% of the country

could have already voted. before today. that's encouraging. good for democracy in general. encouraging. >> could come down to new hampshire's four electoral volts. or ohio's 18. florida's 29. >> romney is making a play for that. doesn't get ohio. pennsylvania could equalize it. very interesting, the math. >> going back to pennsylvania and ohio today. just when you thought he was done. >> underscores how important that is. >> the facebook question this election day. >> we want to know when did you decide who you are voting for and did the final days of the season change your decision. log on to wnnfans.com. let us know. >> i will go vote after the show. with stay with abc news on air and online, throughout the day. maybe we can sing when we vote. >> i doubt it. >> diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos will been our times square election headquarters and our entire

political team, does not in cloud me or paula will be out in force. as the the returns comen we will bring you the very, very latest. >> we'll be bringing them donuts and coffee. here is a look now at your election day weather, everybody. stormy in savannah, charleston, raleigh. this afternoon the storm moves up the coast, this evening, bringing rain and wind to the northeast. all eyes on the nor'easter. showers a possibility in chicago, st. louis and minneapolis. >> coldest air of the season pours into new england, boston barely breaking 40. omaha, kansas city, 50. los angeles, 86 down from the record high of yesterday. firefighters are finally making head way with a wildfire that forced a shutdown of a major highway between southern california. santa ana wind spread the fire to both side of the interstate. 15 in cajun pass, backing up

traffic for hours. fire crews managed to keep the flames spreading from nearby homes. we'll lighten the mood with what is no doubt one of our "favorite stories of the day. "check out my saints. yes, indeed. boys in black and gold. defensive back, patrick robinson. he returns an interception, 99 yards. for a touchdown. last night against the eagles. there in the dome. >> drew brees, threw two touchdown passes. the eagles are pretty much toast. let rob save the best part. >> saints win. saints win. at this point, every win is at least, is -- a moral victory. >> all three of them. way to go. >> whatever. long way off to the playoffs. don't count them out yet. coming up next, we'll turn our attention to clean-up along the east coast. some how are making progress and

worried it could all be wiped away. it is all coming up on "world news now". >> announcer: "world news now" weather, brought to you by lifestyle lift. you disgust me.

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[ birds chirping ] introducing zzzquil, the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil. ♪ welcome back, everyone, the situation still dire this morning for so many folk thousands impacted by hurricane sandy. many families still in the dark and the freezing cold. >> and the new worry is the nor'easter gathering now in the gulf, expected to make it up the east coast later this week. abc's linsey davis has more. >> reporter: new york city kids went back to school, the big apple subways up and running, and the gas lines still long but

getting shorter as the new supply makes its way to the battered storm zone. in the hard hit rockaways neighborhood, this woman is at her breaking point. >> eight days. the mayor talks. the governor says the sun is out today. who cares? who cares if the sun is out today. get us the services that everybody need out here. we are desperate. >> reporter: after the storm, jane stayed behind with her elderly parents. the ambulance for her mother couldn't make it through the sand-clogged streets. >> i have resorted to putting on the gas jets on the stove. >> among the 1.4 million people without power in the weak of hurricane sandy. 115,000 right here in new york city. with temperatures expected to dip below freezing, hypothermia is a threat especially for the elderly and young children. sandy's death toll its at 106 peopw york city alone. and the cold brings fresh fear. >> nypd patrol officers would use loud speakers to urge people

to go where they can be warm. >> shelters have bed available. some rockaway residents, like katie richardson i met last week aren't interested. >> it's our home. it's our home. would you leave our place and you don't know if they're going to loop. >> reporter: the sitty estimates that 10,000 people in battlered buildings and homes will need emergency temporary housing. but for the morenos in the rockaways the concern is more immediate. >> we are going to batten down the hatches and try, hopefully the nor'easter is not, what else can we lose? >> i just pray that everything will be all right. but else can we do? >> linsey davis, abc news, the rockaways. everybody is praying for the -- for those folks up there. and the giving on abc yesterday did so well. raised between $12 million, $14 million for the red cross to help the folks out. again takes me back to katrina days.

if this plan goes through with the fema trailers, need for temporary housing, there was a big situation down in louisiana where they found out months after the storm that there was a formaldehyde contamination inside the fema trailers. make sure as they segue into temporary housing they take precautions, ask about what you are getting. and a lot of problems and some law suits in new orleans after katrina. >> you heard the folks, asked to evacuate, leave, maybe go to a shelter, dry, dry land. but they don't want to leave their homes because of looting. >> yeah, people want to protect their property. can't tell somebody they can't. to lighter moments from our storm coverage. we know about the bromance between governor chris christie and president obama. there is word that christie found closure with a target of his unrequited love. >> the one, the only -- bruce springsteen. christie said yesterday he got a hug from the rock star at a recent benefit concert and was moved to tears.

christie, he is a huge fan of spring ste springsteen concerts. >> springsteen traveling with the president. the president called from air force one and handed the phone to the boss. christie said great to talk with the president but better to speak with bruce. the governor said it is official. they're now friend. >> all right, still to come, some of the lighter moments of the final day of campaign 2012. >> we'll be right back.

well there is no shortage of late night laughs this election season. >> we compiled some of the best moments from last night's comedic hosts on the election eve. let's take a listen. >> man, it is hard to believe just one more day until florida starts screwing up the election again. it's hard. can't believe it. >> tomorrow night, both

presidential candidates will be with their loved ones. mitt romney will be at fox. president obama at msnbc. >> barack obama is the leader in shame based campaigning. mitt has a handicap, given how many times he has flipped position he's may not understand the concept of shame. >> let me break it down for you. the candidate who has more voters is going to win. [ applause ] >> remember -- voting isn't just a right it is also a couple hours off from work tomorrow. >> this is not mitch romney's father's republican party. >> mitch romney, biden has been drinking robitusin. >> all the kenyans who came to run the marathon. they canceled and thought they would stick around and campaign for obama. because, as a fellow kenyan. so here is the rundown tomorrow is election day. wednesday will be the recount.

december 18th the supreme court will give the election to mitt romney. >> have you seen the headliner yet? >> no, springsteen doesn't go on for an hour. dave matthews, katy perry rocked it. biden not so much. >> the republicans will pick up the senate. >> wow. >> i base that on years and years of experience. >> of being wrong! >> i wanted to congratulate you, you moderated the vice presidential debate between joe biden, he didn't curse the whole time. and paul ryan who was very thirsty. >> he was. entirely. >> do you know why you missed that, martha? because you were moderating the debate. >> i want this over! >> all right, i think we all want this over by now. just so much, you see, nice to see comedians reflect how people

think and talk in their living room outside political analysis. thank you for all the laughs, guys. who knows there could be more in store in the next 24 hours. >> "the mix" is next. >>. ♪ yeah, the mix how far will people go to relieve their sore throat?

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all right. so, the typical tradition when you go out to ape re restaurant the waitress, waiter, 15% to 20%, right? >> always. >> this receipt, posted on readit, making the round and sparking fury from waitresses and single moms. what it said, single mom, sorry. the bill was $138. the tip nothing. single mom, sorry. she said thank you it was great. of course, invoking emotion. one poster said i'm sure $140 could have gotten you and your kid a week worth of groceries, you spend it on one meal for shame. another woman responded actually a blogger on, mommy website.

completely possible somebody wanted to be a jerk, blame it on single moms. she says obviously the more i think about it how anybody would do it to a waitress. likely this is an awful prank to make single moms look, really, really bad. how could you do that? >> $140 for a meal. you could afford, $28 tip. that seems a little crazy, you know what i mean. waiters, wait res re waitresses jobs. they live off the tips. >> when i worked at red lobster, $2 an hour. and the rest of our salary. >> give me some. >> i'll give you some. [ laughter ] >> ha-ha! quick study by temperpedic, half of americans plan to stay up past their normal bedtime to watch returns. 24% of americans will stay up

three hours or more past their there mall bedtime. we are in the category. on average, americans will stay up 1.6 hours later to ngt night watch the returns come in tonight. once we get past all the partisan crap. people get into election night. a genuine suspense this year. that's good. healthy. fun. >> regardless who've you vote for. let's do one thing together and let's vote. make sure you vote. put your shoes on. brush your teeth. take a shower. have breakfast. >> that's not necessary. if you don't vote you have no right to say anything for the next four years no matter who wins. so with that, go vote. and enjoy this. ♪ he told me he would ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ ♪

this morning on "world news now" -- after more than 500 days of campaigning it all comes done to this. >> election day 2012. by all measures these two men still deadlocked. it is tuesday, november 6th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everybody. it is election day. and -- we don't know who is going to win. but we do know our names. i'm paula faris. >> good morning, everybody. happy election day, i'm rob nelson. we have been talking about this since '86, '87. >> since b.c., i believe. >> here it is. a long, long road for president

obama and governor romney. today it is officially your voice, your vote. all to determine the direction of this nation for the next four years. >> we will have complete coverage of the candidates' final push to the finish line including one factor that will make this year different. talking about sandy's impact and how some new york voters will have to make do at any polling place they can find. restrictions were lifted, a good sign. we can go anywhere in state we need to. >> if you are in a county, declared a disaster area. go to any polling site. relieving stress for folks. some polling sites were destroyed or powerless. made a lot of sense. the governor taking action. this half-hour, all eyes are on voters and not just from the candidates' camps. how some people need to be extra prepared when they hit the voting booth today. of what the experts say you should do to make sure you are able to actually cast your ballot. and a snapshot of the american electorate, in one

american neighborhood. how one community has agreed to disagree. >> peacefully so, which is good. >> peacefully so. hard to peacefully disagree when you are talking politics. >> it is. it is. been ape very tight, partisan race. finally the verdict. >> this election day find voters heading to the polls to decide a presidential contest which remans a horse race to the end. in the last hours leading up to election day, 2012. both candidates went to state after state, rally after rally. trying to finally seal the deal. going to go first to abc's karen travers, in the windy city of chicago. where we believe the president landed not too long ago. good morning to you, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, paula. both candidates have finished up their rallies. and both did it in states that have sentimental value. last night, president obama, it was iowa. and for mitt romney it was new hampshire. rob, paula, i don't have to tell

you this, but this race is tight. it is going down to the wire. but up until late last night, both campaigns were saying they have the winning formula. >> are you fired up? [ cheers and applause ] are you ready to go? >> reporter: this is it, one final whirlwind day on the campaign trail. >> one more day that lady to greatness. >> reporter: no state is more critical than ohio. candidate were just ten miles apart in columbus. >> here is the thing, ohio, we know what change looks like. and what he is selling ain't it. >> reporter: the president has mega rock star power, bruce springsteen and jay-z who took creative liberty with his song, swapping out a curse word for a political statement. in wisconsin, the president showed a hint of nostalgia and acknowledged no matter what happens, this is it, the last day on the trail in his final campaign.

with a noticeably hoarse voice he asked for four more years. >> we know weep have got more work to do. >> reporter: the president has . but romney is not going down without a fight. >> we ask you to stay at it all the way until victory on tuesday night is clear. >> reporter: the race deadlocked for weeks. but the president opened up a slim lead in the tracking poll. each campaign is projecting confidence in their ground games in the battleground. >> they believe it is all about turnout. >> president obama will be back here in his hometown of chicago tonight. watching the election results come in. he is going to do a dozen television intervutz. he has an election day tradition. he plays a game of basketball with good friend and former aide. that sound to me like a very good way to spend the time instead of waiting for the exit plz polls to come out. play basketball, get energy out, spend tomorrow night, tonight stressing about the returns. rob, paula.

billioning to you. >> thank you, karen. sound like a plan. five on five. mitt romney casts his ballot later this morning in massachusetts. >> then romney returns to ohio and pennsylvania for election day rallies in the two critical states. brandi hitt from boston with more on the campaign. hi, brandi. good morning, rob, paula. the race for the white house has really come done to the wire. mitt romney's campaign believes he has momentum and enthusiasm that will lead to a within tonight. mitt romney wrapped up his final full day on the trail racing through the battleground states he needs for victory. >> do you want four more years like the last four years? or do you want real change? >> reporter: the republican challenger held valleys in florida, virginia and the biggest state of all. ohio. >> i node yoeed your work. i need your help. i need your votes. >> ohio, florida and virginia.

he basically has to go three for three in the states in order to when the race. >> reporter: ohio is so important. both candidates held rallies in columbus. two hours apart. >> we have come too far to turn back now. we have come too far. >> while campaigning in virginia, the romneys made it clear they feel the white house is within reach. >> are we going to be nabs soon? >> what better way to end the matchup than on monday night football. >> are your hometown chicago bears good enough to win the super bowl. >> yes they are. >> reporter: with millions of voters hearing the candidates talk about their sport and their favorite teams. >> you have a favorite team? >> new england payments. i take full responsibility for their two super bowl wins. >> this is a very close race. even though millions have cast early ballots. voter turnout today is critical. rob, paula. >> thank you, brandi, appreciate that. overnight, yet another indication of just how close this race really is. results are in from tiny

dixville notch, new hampshire. for the first time in that town's history, the vote -- was tied. 5 in favor of the president. 5 in favor of governor romney. getting to the polls at midnight there has been a tradition for the town since 1948. the first results are in. look at that. for everyone to see. a long day. the first numerical proof. while the voters in dixville notch were early. far from the worst. a record number of americans, about 46 million cast ballots in early voting this year. that its more than one out of every three voters in our latest polling. president obama has a narrow three-point lead among those who voted early. but not all of the early balloting went smoothly. some waited for four hours to vote in the miami area yesterday after intern early balloting was extended following confusion and

in some florida voting lines over the weekend. >> also, legal issues in ohio as well. following that throughout the day. in other news, here in new york, sandy forced dozens of polling centers to shut down. governor cuomo cleared the way for voters affected by the storm to cast their ballots. portable voting booths turned up. and shuttle buses will be available to take voters to new polling locations if need be. some residents are not even sure they'll show up. >> we don't have electricity, running water, any heat. so, although i am concerned about voting i am concerned about surviving. >> understandable distraction there. election officials posting information on line. many of those who need it most. have no power and no access to the information. they made special provisions.

some people in governor in new york clearing the way. if you still have no power. if you don't know where you are going to sleep. if you are freezing at night. can't imagine the election is your priority now. >> the mayor trying to disseminate over twitter. they're not on twitwitter. they don't have access to receive messages. if they lost everything. you have to believe as much, as empowering as it is to vote they got really. >> understandably. >> brings us to the facebook question for this election day. >> we want to know when did you decide to whom you were voting for and did the final days of the campaign your decision at all. wnnfans.com. weigh in. let us know what is on your mind on this election day. >> stay with ans news, on air and on line throughout the election day. >> diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos. the preview last night.

looks great. what an amazing set they will have. our political team will be out in force. as the returns come in. we will bring you the latest. could be a long night. >> straight from the big dogs in the new election set. looks great. >> we, may, may not be on the air tomorrow night. still working that out. don't see us, don't worry. special coverage tomorrow. we may be on, may not. we'll see you at some point tomorrow. >> the results will dictate that. >> indeed. now the story that no one in the region worst affected by sandy wants to hear. a classic nor'easter driving north with the storm zone its sight. >> so far no evacuations have been ordered. for the we are joined by meteorologist jim dickey. good morning, jim. good morning. tracking the threat for a nor'easter here. that arrived on the eastern seaboard wednesday. monday evening. hear thunderstorms, gulf coast. hail, thunderstorms rolled

across louisiana into texas. eastward. early morning hours. here today the story of low pressure will get its act together as it tracks through northern florida. steady rain, southeast. heavy thunderstorms. then wednesday one digss go downhim. along toast cal new england, northeast mid-atlantic coast. coastal flooding. high tide. inland snow. strong, gusty wind. rob, paula, back to you. >> definitely not what a lot of folks out here want to hear. adding insult to injury. more steps forward in the recovery from sandy. world trade center memorial site reopened. damage from the storm taken care of. >> the federal government is making millions available to those who lost their homes. and usda sending food to the hard hit region. >> we are wrapping up our day of giving, and disney, and the results have been wildly successful with the help of the viewers we raised more than $12

million for sandy relief. >> great st. $3 million match from samsung. goes to the red cross. done so much off to help out. thank you to everyone that took time. we have coverage of this very important day in america. >> next up, the tables turn. more reports of voter intimidation at the polls. this time targeting republicans. you are watching "world news now." ♪ my soul ♪ oh new pink lemonade 5-hour energy? 5-hour energy supports the avon foundation for women breast cancer crusade. so i can get the energized feeling i need and support a great cause?

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♪ ♪ >> welcome back, everyone. yesterday we told you about democrats kreg fou s crying fou a group with the tea party of voter suppression. people are anxious on beth side about every vote. >> watch dog groups will be outen full force today, monitoring your vote. abc's pierre thomas reports. >> travis horn of tampa, florida

is angry. >> you served in the military, try to be a good citizen. and to get the letter it is n suiting. >> reporter: horn was one of republicans of 28 counties in florida who got the letter in the mail, questioning whether they were citizens. cheryl got one too. >> it says there is a question on your el jeblt igibility, if don't provide information or documentation in 15 days you will be thrown off the rolls. >> reporter: the letter warned that voter fraud is a felony. the fbi launch aid voter intimidation investigation into a political dirty trick. in ohio and wisconsin, billboard like these started popping up mainly in minority communities, warning voter fraud is a felony. >> this billboard is a symbol of unadulterated voter suppression to target an african-american community. >> billboard came down. tensions remain. as the election approaches,

legal battles will include access to the polls. sunday florida voters became outrages when the polls were temporarily closed after they stood in line for hours. pierre thomas, abc news, new york. >> we want to tell you what measures you can take to make sure your vote won't be called into question. >> let's take a listen to what donna brazil had to say about this. >> remind every citizen they have the right to vote. standing in line as polls close. they may cast their ballot. bring voter registration card, i.d. utility bill, current to till ttill -- current utility bill. bring that as well. >> great add vie. can't argue with that. >> we will be right back. >> you are

welcome back, everyone. sharon osbourne has never been shy about sharing the struggles of her life. this time it is no different. >> she has gone through a 13 hour double mastectomy for preventative reasons. and now linsey davis reports she is telling the world about the procedure. >> she was there for her son when he announced his battle with ms. >> he is great. he is doing really, really good. and i want to thank everyone for all of their good will. >> reporter: but now it is sharon osbourne's turn to lean on her family, revealing to "hello" magazine after discovering she had the gene for breast cancer she made of a life changing decision. quote, as soon as i found out i had the breast cancer gene. i thought the odd are not in my favor. i have had cancer before and i didn't want to live under that cloud. i decided to just take everything off. and had a double mastectomy. ten years ago, osbourne beat

colon cancer, an emotional battle she shared with barbara walters. >> were you afraid when you got the diagnosis that you were going to die? >> you are frightened. the first thing was fear. my stomach like -- was in knots. i couldn't breathe. i was hysterical. and the first thing you think of, my god, my kids. my kids. this can't be happening to me. >> reporter: now cancer-free and a new grandmother, osbourne says for me it wasn't a big decision it was a no brainer if i didn't want to live the rest of my life with the shadow hanging over me. i want to be around for a long time. >> you know how much we love your mother. [ applause ] >> reporter: and at age 60, she is focusing on the future. it's not pity me, she says, it's a decision i made that got rid of the weight i was carrying around. i just wanted to be able to live my life without fear all the time. linsey davis, abc news, new

york. >> she had cancer gene. doesn't mean she will develop it. a double mastectomy can reduce your risk by 90%. >> 90, wouldn't argue with that. we'll be back. p breath. describe the room that you're in. i think just like a big, open space. like i'm hanging the sheets on the line. let's take your blindfold off. oh! [ both laugh ] super-weird! oh, is it febreze? yeah. ohh, how about that? febreze has anti-clogging technology that keeps it smelling fresh, even after 30 days. febreze. breathe happy. the rid-x septic subscriber program helps prevent backups by sending you monthly doses right to your door so you will never forget to maintain your system. sign up at rid-x.com.

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♪ let yourself be free ♪ freedom ♪ freedom ♪ freedom ♪ freedom >> sing it! >> that will get your blood going, aretha franklin tuesday election day. >> no shortage of people with opinions, which candidate is better. log on to your facebook page. pitting friend against friend and neighbor and whole lot of neighbors. and neighborhood at odds at well. >> gets nasty. amy robach found a community in virginia facing off like a lot of us. the difference here they all still seemed to get along. >> reporter: ryson drive is a

street where neighbors share hugs, bake cookies and have friendly conversations but are sharply divided on one major issue who to vote for. there is sandra buckman for romney and kathleen for obama. it all started here, when stephanie decided to put up her barack obama sign supporting the president. while her neighbors then countered. putting up signs of their own supporting romney/ryan. starting a bit of a sign war here in this neighborhood. yet remarkably all of the neighbors here remain friendly. >> we all have the same families, we want a safe country, we want to work. >> reporter: they don't see eye to eye on how to get there. >> we need to be able to disagree about positions and vote for whomever we want to and not take it personally. and that. >> that's where i really get mad with obama. you didn't cross the aisle. >> reporter: in the era of political instability, the

neighbors on the drive have advice for washington. >> i think they need to see the humanity in the others and think they need to focus on that instead of the politics. >> should they start baking cookies for each other? >> reporter: food for thought. amy robach, maclean. >> a battleground street in a battleground state. disagree without being disagreeable. >> send us some of the cookies. that is it for this half-hour. but we do want to remind you to do the most important thing that you can do today. >> go vote! >> that's right. >> you are watching "world news now." ♪

this morning on this morning on "world news now" -- we, the people, decide today who will spend the next four years in the white house. >> after record early voting this campaign season, it all comes down to the voters who head to the polls today. it is tuesday, election day, finally it is november 6th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good election day morning, everybody. i am rob nelson. >> we are probably going to say good day after the election tomorrow and two days. could drag out a bit. i'm paula faris. this is it today as "your voice,

your vote," as america elects a president. this half-hour, a look at the all-important battle for the buckeye state. why ohio is so close and so crucial. >> already some legal issues bubbling to the surface in the state as well. people keeping a very close eye on the state for a lot of reasons. >> right. >> on top of that -- the key role, the candidates' wives have played all these long, exhausting months on the campaign trail. a look at first lady michelle obama and ann romney, who hopes to call 1600 pennsylvania avenue home soon enough. she was at a rally in virginia yesterday. they had a -- a line along the lines, are we going to be neighbors soon? the crowd loved that. a cool line. it is d-day. first, president obama will spend this election day in chicago where he will watch the returns come in tonight. >> but before heading home he held one last campaign rally in iowa. the state that started it all for him four years ago. with his voice hoarse, appearing to wipe a tear from his eye, the president told a crowd of 20,000 in des moines that real progress has been made over the last four

years but there is more work to do. meanwhile, mitt romney wrapped up his final rally of the day before a crowd of 12,000 in manchester, new hampshire, unexpected battleground state. a sentimental journey since romney kicked off the campaign in the state and has been back almost 25 times this year. a lot of time and money for four electoral votes but they're going for everybody. we'll hear from the candidates as recap their closing arguments. first, we have said this all along for weeks, and it's still true, as voters head to the polls today. ohio is the battleground of all battleground states. >> collectively the candidates had been there 83 times. >> ohio must be so weary. at this point. >> 2 million voters in the buckeye state have cast ballots. as abc's ron claiborne reports, there is absolutely no guarantee that we are going to know the winner of ohio tonight. >> reporter: there were long

lines on this final day of early voting. >> i just wanted to vote so much. >> reporter: in all an estimated 1.7 million people, about 30% of the expected turnout will have cast their ballots in ohio before election day. but election day itself may not be the final word of this key battleground state. the outcome in ohio, and just maybe the outcome of the presidential election, might not be known for weeks. >> hello, ohio! >> reporter: both campaigns insist the scenario is a very long shot but could happen if the vote here is close enough. here's why -- in this state voters who apply for absentee ballots but show up at the polls or those who show up without proper identification have to cast what are called provisional ballots. provisional ballots and absentee ballots that arrive after election day in the mail cannot by law be counted until november 17th. >> if it is an extremely close race and there are -- that many outstanding ballots, it's possible that this race would

not be decided until ten days after. >> reporter: if that result is quarter of one percent or less, 14,000 votes, that triggers an automatic recount that doesn't begin until all are recounted. remember 2000. and that long recount nightmare. could ohio and the provisional ballots be in effect the hanging chad of 2012? >> it could be. the difference would be provisional ballots are nothing improper with the way the system is run just how it is supposed to work. just could happen if it is that close though. >> if the presidency ends up riding on the outcome in ohio, certainly there will be legal challenges by both sides which could push resolution of the result here well into december. a long shot, but not impossible. ron claiborne, abc news, columbus, ohio. nightmare scenario, ron. all right, thank you. well, 2012 presidential election already made history with a record number of early voters. about 46 million americans, more than one out of every three voters, cast an early ballot this year.

our latest polling shows president obama has a narrow three-point lead among those who voted before today. of course there are also 33 senate races to be decided today in addition to the presidential race among the highest profile races, the one in massachusetts, between democrat elizabeth warren and incumbent, scott brown. two former governors are facing off in virginia. virginia. a democrat, tim kane, taking on george allen. in missouri,la a democrat, tim kaine, taking on george allen. in missouri, claire mccaskill faces todd akin. the race, remember, gained national attention after akin's comments about rape and pregnancy. on top of that several hot button social issues on the ballot for voters to decide. gay marriage is on the ballot in four states. maryland, maine, washington and minnesota. immigration questions will be answered in several states as well including montana and maryland.

and, the potential legalization of marijuana decided in six states. those issues have not gotten too much attention, a lot more on the president, and control of congress. most expect no matter who wins, congress will be divided. democrats expected to maintain the senate. republicans in the house. who ever becomes the president will have a divided congress to, to face. >> there have been many predictions everything could virtually stay the same. which would mean we have spent $6 billion to stay the same. >> status quo. >> the facebook question for this election day, november 6th. >> we want to know when did you decide whom you're voting for? and do the final days of the campaign change your decision? >> log on to wnnfans.com. weigh in. let us know what is on your mind. >> stay with abc news on air and online throughout the day. >> diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos will be in our times square election headquarters, beautiful set they

built down there. our political team will be out in force. as the returns come in, of course, we will bring you the latest. their plan is to kick it off at 7:00 eastern, after the evening news, go until 2:00 a.m. that is all depending on the news what is going on. and 24 hours from right now. >> you may or may not see us. we may look a little like diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos tomorrow night at this time. >> wish we had the contracts. >> ha-ha. >> a look at the election day weather. storms will move into coastal florida, georgia, and the carolinas by afternoon. it will be dry in the northeast with increasing clouds around dinner time. of course all eyes on the nor'easter that could potentially hit tomorrow. showers through seattle and portland. >> such a good weatherman, rob. los angeles cools down after record setting heat yesterday. new york city, baltimore, 15 degrees colder than usual. honolulu and phoenix in the mid to upper 80s. in the aftermath of sandy, the issue of long-term housing for victims has fast become the top priority.

in very few places is it more evident than in the hard-hit community of rockaway beach, queens. look at this, a helicopter flight over that neighborhood yesterday showed just how widespread that destruction truly is. it is heartbreaking. randomness of the damage is truly remarkable. you can see what was once a kitchen. and if you look inside the kitchen cabinets, all of the plates and cups stacked up as if nothing happened. it looks like this picture can't be real. and that's what strikes you when you look at these pictures. you look at them and say, this couldn't possibly be real. >> yeah. more than 1.3 million homes and businesses across the storm zone still without power. now a full week after the storm sandy is being blamed for 106 deaths in the u.s. now. we have cold temperatures. plunging. we have folks on our own staff living in their homes without power. so they're just surviving now

with blankets and trying to -- you know, gather around one another to keep warm. >> dr. besser released tips if you think you are at risk for hypothermia. a genuine risk, particularly, if things can get holder. the best advice, if you can get to a warm shelter. do that. a hotel room if you can afford one. multiple layers of clothes. wear a hat. some of the basics. layer up if you were outside. in some cases the houses feel like you are outside. >> some of the poor folks, you look at that destruction in rockaway, queens, where we just showed you. they have an opportunity to maybe go to a hotel or go stay with family members, but then there is looting and people are just, raiding their homes and stealing from them. you have people literally sitting outside of their destroyed home to protect what is left. >> a tough call. do you leave and stay warm. or stay and defend your turf it? is tough. keeping all the folks in our thoughts and prayers for sure. we hope you will volt today. if you haven't decided whom to vote for. might be able to help you out a little bit. coming up next, a look at the candidates' final pitches in less than two minutes.

>> can you imagine if somebody still didn't know. >> there probably aren't two women happier or more nervous to see the day come. the candidates' wives, called their secret weapons. a look at why. you're watching "world news now." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ keep on rocking in the free world ♪ ♪ keep on rocking in the free world ♪ in the free world ♪ the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement plans, they pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and save you up to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs. call today to request a free decision guide to help you better understand what medicare is all about.

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♪ keep on rocking in the free world ♪ >> oh. >> a step for the country. the candidates had more than 500 days to get their message to us. but some folks, i don't know if i believe this or not, say they're still undecided. >> they're just hardheaded. governor romney and president obama worked late last night trying to make sure they were heard. a final time. here's what they had to say. >> from the valleys of ohio to these iowa fields we will keep america moving forward. you brought your neighbors, and you made home made signs. when we had call to make, teachers and nurses, showed up after work, already bone tired but staying anyway.

late into the night. and you welcome me and michelle into your homes. and you picked us up when we needed a lift. and your faces gave me new hope for this country's future. and your stories filled me with resolve. those of you who haven't done this just for me but for each other. for laid off family member. for a sick child. for a fallen friend. to all of you who have lived and breathed the hard work of change. i want to thank you. >> this is where i, our campaign began. you got this campaign started a year and a half ago at the farm. [ applause ] and then -- your primary vote put me on the path to win the republican nomination. [ cheers and applause ] the only thing that stand between us and some of the best years we have ever imagined is

lack of leadership. that's why we have elections. tomorrow is a moment to look into the future. and imagine what we can do. to put the past four years behind us, and start building a new future. you saw the differences when president obama and i were side by side in our debates. he says it has to be this way. i say it can't stay this way. tomorrow on november 6th we come together for a better future. and november 7th we got to work. >> i have been fascinated by the race. you look at both sides. look at some of the numbers. both man can make a compelling case. both men, both camps really think they're going to win. so one side, whenever we know the winner is going to be beyond jubilant. one side is going to be gravely disappointed. they really both think they have a shot. they both have legitimate reasons to think they could win. obama has electoral advantage. romney is doing well, amongst independent voters and doing well in states that obama won

last time around. both have their reasons. >> the president, doing really well with the early vote not as substantial lead in 2008. one thing they will both be doing well after this, sleeping. i can only imagine. your body just letting down and decompressing. >> you see it in their face, hear it in their hoarse voice. they have to be beyond exhausted. like they said in the hand of the voters, in our hands. when we come back we'll see what is going on in "the skinny" this morning. >> it's all coming up on "w

♪ skinny so skinny >> welcome back, everybody. kirstie alley dropping a little bit of a bombshell here. a new book coming out november 13th, called "the art of men" apparently coming clean about a past relationship saying that she had an intense emotional relationship but not technically an affair with patrick swayze. that was the time they were working together, on a movie called north and south, back in 1985. years ago. she was married at the time. so was he. patrick passed away a few years ago from pancreatic cancer. she said they never went down that road. a sexual relationship.

she said i think what we did was worse. i think when you fall in love with some body when you are married, you jeopardize your marriage and, their marriage. it is doubly bad. take a listen to her interview on "entertainment tonight." >> i could feel someone looking at me. i didn't look. i leaned forward it was patrick. he had a big smile on his face. i thought, do not go down this road. >> and so, did you go down that road? >> yes. after patrick, i made a decision that i was not ever going to involve myself with any one married. >> patrick is no longer with us, can't defend himself. a book coming out. benefit to publicity. take it with a grain of salt. what an interesting thing to reveal. she said technically they didn't have an affair, an emotional thing. they fell in love. >> some times the emotional

connection can be more powerful than anything else. >> very true. >> speaking of a connection that might not -- be so any more, derek hough and his dance partner, sean johnson, u.s. gymnast "dancing with the stars," may not be together the remainder of the season because he has an injury, a bulging disk on his vertebrae. >> a what? >> a bulging disk. a disk that is bulging. >> that's a problem. >> the disk that is bulging and it keeps getting bigger. he has had it for years. he need surgery on it. it flares up. and it did. basically immobilizes him when he dances. he was going to try to push through monday night. if you watched didn't happen. mark ballas will be stepping in for him for the reamender of the season. >> always tough when the disk bulges. >> it is. >> uh-huh. uh-huh. >> it's tough. all you literature fans out there, get ready. apparently britney spears signed on to write a novel for harper collins, loosely based on her

life, not autobiography. based on her life there. >> page one. the end. >> britney, the author. oh, the world rejoices. . oh, the world rejoices. follow the wings.

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♪ talking about freedom >> what are we talng about ♪ talking about freedom >> what are we talking about? >> freedom! >> in the final weeks leading up to today, election day, first lady michelle obama and ann romney have higher approval ratings than their husbands. no surprise. >> no kidding. they're not the ones elected. that's a bogus number. exhausted and emotional, in the final hours, both relied heavily on the candidates' wives. abc's sharyn alfonsi reports on their workload. >> reporter: for michelle obama and ann romney, it is the end of a long grueling road. >> it is an emotional day for me, because i were i could tell you what i learned. >> reporter: they have been there every step of the way from

the photo-ops. >> may i introduce to you. >> to the stump speeches. >> this is our time. >> reporter: to the conventions. >> michelle, i love you so much. what a lucky man i am. >> ann would have succeeded at anything she wanted to do. >> reporter: both women displaying equal parts charm. >> i love you so much. >> reporter: and steely endurance. >> we have been in so many of your communities. >> reporter: michelle obama's been a key fund raiser campaigning at 191 events. >> it sound like you are fired up and ready to go. >> reporter: ann romney a regular on the trail too. just this weekend appearing in five swing states, exhausted, and emotional time. >> that is amazing to walk in and have this kind of emotion come to us. it makes me believe we can win colorado. >> reporter: throughout the campaign both women have tried to show voters the other side of their husband. >> what does mitt wear to bed?

>> the best answer is as little as possible. >> reporter: the first presidential debate was on your 20th wedding anniversary. >> go figure. >> there is your wedding photo we are showing right now. the two of you look exactly the same. >> he is a lot more gray. >> michelle obama and ann romney have been praised for their wit, intelligence and their wise fashion choices. both also enjoy higher favorability ratings than their husband. and with many saying the race is too close to call, unfortunately for the campaigns, neither woman is on the ballot. sharyn alfonsi, abc news. >> maybe they'll get some write-in votes. >> anything could happen today, you know that. >> well, that is it for this half-hour. want to remind you to do the most important thing you can do today besides brushing your teeth. >> no matter what side you are on, folks, go out there, be heard and vote. we'll be back with more from abc after this. ♪ freedom i will fight for the right to live in freedom ♪